A WINCHESTER man cycling 767 miles to raise funds for a play area in Stanmore stopped off at local nurseries to drum up support.

John Harvey rode to 47 nurseries between Bath and Buckinghamshire to help raise £50,000 for a play area at the new Princess Eugenie House in the grounds of the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Brockley Hill.

John and his team mates stopped at West Downs nursery and Maples Day Nursery to meet pre-schoolers who have been fundraising and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Children at West Downs Day Nursery, Romsey Road, where John works as a practitioner, staged a carnival for the riders, offering home-made fruit kebabs and garlands.

John also stopped at Maples Day Nursery, Hatherley Road, where children are taking part in a sponsored ‘toddle’ to raise funds.

Maples Manager, Helen Baker said: “We are surrounded by happy, healthy and confident children every day at nursery and can see how important an imaginative outdoor play area is to their development.

“It is even more important for children undergoing traumatic treatments in hospital and their families supporting them on site.”